Data from: Mortality in Schizophrenia and Related Psychoses: Data from Two Cohorts, 1875-1924 & 1994-2010.

Objective: To investigate mortality rates in schizophrenia and related
psychoses. Design: Data from two epidemiologically complete cohorts of
patients presenting for the first time to mental health services in North
Wales for whom there are at least 1, and up to 10 year follow up data have
been used to calculate survival rates and standardized mortality rates for
schizophrenia and related psychoses. Setting: The North Wales Asylum
Denbigh (archived patient case notes) and the North West Wales District
General Hospital psychiatric unit. Population: Cohort 1: The North Wales
Asylum Denbigh (archived patient case notes). Of 3168 patients admitted to
the North Wales Asylum Denbigh 1875-1924, 1074 had a schizophrenic or
related psychosis. Cohort 2: Patients admitted between 1994 and 2010 to
the North West Wales District General Hospital psychiatric unit, of whom
355 had first admissions for schizophrenia or related psychoses. Results:
We found a 10 year survival probability of 75% in the historical cohort
and a 90% survival probability in the contemporary cohort with a 4-fold
increase in standardised mortality rates in schizophrenia and related
psychoses in both historical and contemporary periods. Suicide is the
commonest cause of death in schizophrenia in the contemporary period (SMR
35), while tuberculosis was the commonest cause historically (SMR 9). In
the contemporary data, deaths from cardiovascular causes arise in the
elderly and deaths from suicide in the young. Conclusions: Contemporary
mortality rates in schizophrenia and related psychoses are high but there
are particular hazards and windows of risk that enable interventions. The
data point to possible interventions in the incident year of treatment
that could give patients with schizophrenia a normal life expectancy.